Filmjölk

Filmjölk (also known as fil) is a Nordic dairy product made from soured milk. It is similar to yogurt, but is produced using different bacteria and cultured at a lower temperature than yogurt, which gives it a different taste and texture. It is the modern version of the traditional product surmjölk (sour milk).[1]

Contents

In the Nordic countries, filmjölk is commonly eaten during breakfast or as a snack between meals in the same manner as yogurt, usually from a bowl with a spoon.[1] It can be drunk but is not normally done so since the liquid is fairly thick. Filmjölk is often eaten with breakfast cereal, muesli or crushed crisp bread on top. Since plain filmjölk tastes somewhat sour, many people add sugar, jam, apple sauce, cinnamon, ginger, fruits, and/or berries. In Norwegian it is called surmelk (Nynorsk: surmjølk) (sourmilk) but the official name is kulturmelk (Nynorsk: kulturmjølk). The drink is also popular in Latvian kitchens, where it is called rūgušpiens, rūgtpiens (fermented milk or sourmilk) and can be bought ready from stores but is more commonly made at home.

Manufactured filmjölk is made from pasteurised, homogenised, and standardised cow's milk. Although homemade filmjölk has been around for a long time (written records from the 18th century speak of filmjölk-like products, but it has probably been around since the Viking Age or longer),[5] it was first introduced to the Swedish market as a consumer product in 1931 by the Swedish dairy cooperative Arla.[4][6] The first filmjölk was unflavoured and contained 3% milkfat. Since the 1960s, different varieties of unflavoured filmjölk have been marketed in Swedish grocery stores. Långfil, a more elastic variant of filmjölk was introduced in 1965; lättfil, filmjölk with 0.5% milkfat was introduced in 1967; and mellanfil, filmjölk with 1.5% milkfat was introduced in 1990.[6][7] In 1997, Arla introduced its first flavoured filmjölk: strawberry flavoured filmjölk.[8] The flavoured filmjölk was so popular that different flavours soon followed. By 2001, almost one third of the filmjölk sold in Sweden was flavoured filmjölk.[9] Since 2007, variations of filmjölk include filmjölk with various fat content, filmjölk flavoured with fruit, vanilla, or honey, as well as filmjölk with probiotic bacteria that is claimed to be extra healthful, such as Onaka fil which contains Bifidobacterium lactis (a strain of bacteria popular in Japan)[10] and Verum Hälsofil which contains Lactococcus lactis L1A in quantities of at least 10 billion live bacteria per deciliter.[11]

"Regular" filmjölk. Filmjölk made from 3% milkfat. Comes unflavoured and flavoured. Also comes in a variant made from organic milk, a low-lactose variant that has been treated with lactase enzyme, a variant with added fiber (f-fil, fil med fiber), and a variant with higher milkfat content (Arla Vår finaste filmjölk, 3.8–4.5% milkfat). Has been in the Swedish language since 1741.[29]

Filmjölk with a characteristic long and almost elastic texture due to Lactococcus lactis var. Longi, a strain of bacteria that converts the carbohydrates in milk into long chains of polysaccharides. Comes unflavoured only. More common in northern Sweden. Sometimes eaten with ground ginger. Has been in the Swedish language since 1896.[33]

Milk that has fermented, unstirred, in small bowls.[41] Has a pudding-like consistency. Similar to unstirred långfil. Traditionally made in small bowls from (unpasteurized and unhomogenized) raw milk, which normally contains some cream. The cream forms a yellowish layer of sour cream on top. Comes unflavoured and flavoured. Has been in the Swedish language since 1652.[41]

Filmjölk that contains at least 10 x 109Lactococcus lactis L1A bacteria per deciliter. Comes unflavoured and flavoured. Lactococcus lactis L1A is a patented strain of probiotic bacteria that originated from a culture of långfil from a farm in Västerbotten.[54] In 1998 Verum hälsofil was approved as a natural medical product (naturläkemedel) by the Swedish national regulatory agency Medical Products Agency (Läkemedelsverket).[55] It has been shown to have a positive effect on the immune and digestive system.

Filmjölk that contains at least 50 x 106 Lp 299v per milliliter. Comes unflavoured. Lp 299v, a patented probiotic bacteria,[62] has been shown to decrease the symptoms of colon irritation and stressed digestive system in people who consumed ProViva.[63][64]

To make filmjölk, a small amount of bacteria from an active batch of filmjölk is normally transferred to pasteurised milk and then left one to two days to ferment at room temperature or in a cool cellar. The fil culture is needed when using pasteurised milk because the bacteria occurring naturally in milk are killed during the pasteurization process.

A variant of filmjölk called tätmjölk, filtäte, täte or långmjölk is made by rubbing the inside of a container with leaves of certain plants: sundew (Drosera, Swedish: sileshår)[65] or butterwort (Pinguicula, Swedish: tätört).[66][67][68] Lukewarm milk is added to the container and left to ferment for one to two days. More tätmjölk can then be made by adding completed tätmjölk to milk. In Flora Lapponica (1737), Carl von Linné described a recipe for tätmjölk and wrote that any species of butterwort could be used to make tätmjölk.[66]